| Show Standard-Examine- National r Wednesday May 19 1999 3A CRISIS IN THE BALKANS Signals mount that Yugoslavia may be ready to deal The Associated Press - BELGRADE Yugoslavia NATO missiles caused “great" damage and the deaths of four people in Serbia today state media reported European leaders met meanwhile as Yugoslavia signalled it may be ready to settle the Kosovo crisis German Chancellor Gerhard Schroe-de- r spearheading Europe’s quest for a diplomatic solution to the nearly allied bombing campaign visited military and civilians leaders at NATO headquarters Russia’s special Balkans envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin flew into Belgrade -likely carrying details of the latest peace proposal meant to end the Kosovo conflict and NATO’s airs trikes - and went into talks right away with President Slobodan Milosevic In the meantime the alliance said poor weather caused a temporary slowdown in its air campaign against Yugoslavia Allied jets flew 425 sorties on the 56th day of the air war against Yugoslavia but only 58 involved airstrikes The state-ru- n Tanjug news agency reported four people died in an attack on Gnjilane a Kosovo town 25 miles southeast of the capital Pristina after bombs struck a local company It also said 14 NATO missiles landed near the southern town of Vranje today causing “great material damage” It was not possible to confirm the reports which had no further details Schroeder’s visit to Brussels Belgium Clinton leaves door open on ground troops The Washington - a key stumbling block to any agreement The international army that would try to maintain order in Kosovo when fighting ends must be far larger than NATO planners envisioned before the eight-wee- k bombing campaign the Pentagon says The size of the theoretical peacekeeping force has grown from 28000 to a ballpark figure of 45000 to 50000 troops Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said Tuesday underscored an intensification in diplomatic efforts Envoys from the G-- 8 group of seven leading industrial countries and Russia met today in Bonn Germany to work on the draft of a UN peace resolution On Tuesday Yugoslav Foreign Min- deal istry spokesman Ncbojsa'Vujovic said Belgrade was ready “to cut a deal” But he did not explicitly say Belgrade was ready to let an armed force including NATO troops enter the southern Serb province of Kosovo to police the Gripshift As low as $20 per month Royce Union 26" Full Post WASHINGTON - President Clinton declared for the first time Tuesday that he would consider sending ground troops to Kosovo if he becomes convinced that 'V-- 5 NATO’s strategy of bombing Yugoslavia will not bring victory Clinton’s comments in a brief I MRGSFHF White House appearance before reporters came as diplomacy 2 for 10 Sale Price aimed at ending the conflict seemed to be gaining momen- Fred Meyer with Flash tum Officials said he spoke out to dispel any impression that NATO might accept something short of its stated demands from Yugoslavia and to strengthen the hand of Russian peace envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin as he heads for a round of talks with '£ y Suspension Aluminum Frame Mountain Bike tea in less than lu minutes nnr 3-D- Camera Vertical Bike 4 accent colors vary for more SALE AY Magna 20" Boy’s 400 speed film 27-ex- p 8534 918535 3J Sale 8888 5forS10 Your Choice Sale Price President Slobodan Milosevic in Belgrade “I and everyone else has always said that we intend to see our objectives achieved and that we have not and will not take any Wun-N- cl Farms' i Whitney Farms Mushroom Compost 20 qt or Chicken Manure 1 cu ft option off the table” Clinton i 1 2 1 said Clinton’s insistence that his mind is open to putting combat troops in Kosovo marked a rhetorical shift - “I do not intend to put our troops in Kosovo to fight a war” he announced on the first day of air strikes 56 days ago -but senior administration officials said as a practical matter they are weeks away at least from a decision to assemble an invasion force For the near term Clinton’s more aggressive stance was designed principally as an exercise in public diplomacy seeking to encourage Milosevic to embrace a settlement offer that NATO and Russia are hoping to jointly craft A Yugoslav government spokesman said in Belgrade that Milsoevic is “ready to cut a deal” if NATO were to stop bombing first - an incentive the United States has ruled out - and predicted that “we have a diplomatic opening” with Chernomyrdin’s imminent arrival in the Yugoslav capital US officials called that statement evidence that the air war is working finally starting to grind down Belgrade’s resistance But much of Clinton’s maneuvering in recent days has been designed to expand his flexibility if it becomes evident the air war will not force withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo the rebellious Serbian province at the center of the war and an agreement giving autonomy to the ethnic Albanians who made up 90 percent of the province’s 18 million inhabitants Clinton’s statement on ground sestroops followed a two-hosion he held Monday evening with his senior national security advisers at which officials said the group confronted in blunt terms the possibility that an invasion might eventually be the only way NATO can impose acceptable terms on Yugoslavia still-evolvi- ur ! I 1 Woman dies while being airlifted MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE An elderly ethnic Albanian woman died today while being airlifted to a refugee center in New Jersey The woman was aboard a flight from Macedonia with hundreds of fellow Kosovo refugees en route to McGuire Air Force Base said Army spokeswoman LL Col Jill NJ i - Morganthaler The woman was approximately 78 to 80 years old Morganthaler said Her name and the cause of her death were not immediately available The ethnic Albanians were to join their countrymen at nearby Fort Dix later today The latest flight would bnng the total number of refugees staying at the center to nearly 3000 officials said - The Associated Press -- COPY Sale Price Thompsons Deck Wash 1 gallon Helps restore your deck to its original color 8ioi i - ’ s Pnces All Fabric Tablecloths & Matching Napkins Styles vary Whatfc on your list today? 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